Post and molding-machine.



PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

J. G. ASH. POST AND MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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1n: NORRIS PEYERS c No. 862,049. I I PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

" J. G. ASH.

POST AND MOLDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES G. ASH, OF MANCHESTER, IOWA.

POST AND MOLDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. April 30, 1907.

Application filed August 7,1906. Serial No. $29,614:.

T on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES G. Asn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Manchester, in the county of Delaware and State of Iowa,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Posts andMolding-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in molding machinesand more particularly to that class adapted to be used in forming fenceposts or the like of plastic material and my object is to provide adevice of this class whereby the post can be quickly and economicallymolded and readily removed from the mold.

A further object is to provide means for disposing parts of the machineout of alinement with the mold so that the plastic material can bereadily disposed therein.

A further object is to provide means for disposing openings through thepost to receive wire securing devices.

A still further object is to provide suitable clamping means for theparts of the mold whereby it may be readily assembled together toreceive the plastic material or disposed apart to remove the finishedpost.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application,Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved mold showing the same inposition to produce a finished post. Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereofas seen from line 22 Fig. 1. i Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the deviceshowing the parts of the mold separated and the post in position to beremoved from the mold. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the mold in itsassembled position, and, Fig. 5 is aperspective view of a device used inremoving the post from the mold.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates the bed ofmy. improved mold which is supported at each end by suitable standards2.

Secured to the upper face of the bed 1 and at each edge thereof are siderails 3, said rails being secured to the bed by means of hinges 4 or thelike, the side rails forming two walls of the mold, the lower wall ofthe mold being formed by placing a pallet 5 upon the upper face of thebed 1. The inner faces of the side rails 3 are preferably covered withsheets of metal or the like 6 and the surfaces of these sheets may beconstructed in various shapes to produce varied surfaces upon the post7.

In the construction shown the lower corners S of the metallic strip 6are directed inwardly to form an angular corner on the post while theremainder of the surface of the strips is left plain or as above statedsaid surfaces may be roughened or otherwise distorted to produce variouscurvatures of the outer surface of the post. Disposed between the upperends of the standards 2 is a plunger 9, the extended ends of which areadapted to travel between the guides 10 and 11 on the inner faces of thestandards, the lower face of the plunger 9 being provided with acovering of sheet metal or the like 12, which issimilarly constructed tothe sheets of metal 6 and in this instance the central portion of theplunger and metal covering therefor are provided with a rib,13 so that alongitudinal groove will be formed in one face of the post. The outeredges of the sheet 12 are disposed at an angle as at 14 to form angularcorners on the post to correspond with the angular corners produced bythe inwardly directed portions 8 of the metallic strips 6.

In constructing a post of plastic material it 'is expedient to providethe post at intervals with openings through which are disposed suitablewire retaining members and to this end I provide a portion of the lowerface of the plunger 9 with a plurality of suit ably spaced rods 15 and16, the rods 15 being of sufficient length to pass entirely through thepost and into openings 17 in the pallet 5 thereby directing the openingsentirely through the post, while the rods 16 are of less length andenter the post but a short distance, the object being to provide meansfor inserting a substantially L- shaped staple (not shown) intoengagement with the post and over suitable line wires, one portion ofthe staple being passed entirely through the post, while the opposite orshorter end thereof is directed into the opening made by the rod 16, theopenings made by the rods 15 and 16 being disposed centrally in the postand in alinement with the groove formed by the rib 13.

The end of the mold is formed by plates 18 which are hinged to the uppersurface of the bed 1 and are directed into and held in a verticalposition and against the ends of the side rails 3 by means of lockingarms 19, said arms being pivotally secured to the standards 2 and havingtheir inner ends directed through openings in the standards and intoengagement with the outer faces of the plates 18, the outer ends of thelocking arms forming handles by which means the looking arms may bemoved into or out of engagement with the plates.

The plunger 9 is vertically movable in the guides 10 and 11 and isoperated by means of a shaft 20 which is rotatably mounted upon blocks21, slidably mounted upon suitable tracks 22 at the upper ends of thestandards 2, the plunger being secured to the shaft 20 by cables or thelike 23 so that when the shaft 20 is rotated in one direction by meansof a'crank 24, the cables will wind around the shaft and elevate theplunger 9, the plunger being held in its elevated position by means of ahook or the like 25 carried by the plunger, being disposed intoengagement with a keeper 26 on the shaft 20.

The side rails 3 are held in a vertical position by means of a pluralityof bars 27, said bars being pivoted at their lower ends to the sides ofthe bed 1 and being adapted to be engaged by suitable straps 28rigidlysecured to the sides of the bed 1, the upper ends of the barsbeing pivotally secured to a rail 29 so that all of the bars upon oneside of the bed will be swung upon their pivot points in umson.

In operation, the pallet 5 is disposed on the upper face of the bed 1after which the side rails 3 are disposed in a vertical position and thebars 27 directed into engagement with the straps 28 which securely holdthe side rails in their elevated position. The plates are then directedinto a vertical po sition and the looking arms 19 directed intoengagement therewith, .after which the plastic material is placed in themold formed by theside rails and end plates and after the mold has beenproperlyfilled the plunger 9 is lowered until the lower face thereof isflush with the upper edges of the side rails '3, this operationdirecting the rods and 16 into the plastic material forming the post.When the molding operation has been completed the shaft is rotated andthe plunger again elevated and after the hook has been directed intoengagement with the keeper 26 the blocks 21' are directed outwardly uponthe tracks 22 thereby disposing the plunger and shaft from over themold, the guides 10 being made shorter than the guides 11 so that theends of the plunger will freely move thereover.

By this construction it will be seen that ready access to the mold canbe had without the plunger and shaft interfering with the removal of thepost. The rails 29 are then moved longitudinally thereby swinging thebars 27 on their pivot points and directing the same out of engagementwith the straps 28; the rotation of the straps upon their pivot pointsbeing continued until the rail and bars are entirely out of the path ofthe side rails 3, when the side rails are lowered. The locking arms 19are then released from end plates and said plates moved away from theend of the molded post, the post being then left free to be removed fromits posi tion upon the bed. In removing the post after it has beenmolded the pallet 5 is removed with the post thereby enabling me tohandle the post when in a green state without breaking the same and inaccom plishing this result I employ a carrying device comprising anelongated bar 30 having handle sections 31 at each end thereof andprovided with a plurality of depending standards 32, the lower ends ofwhich are provided with right angled extensions 33, said extensionsbeing adapted to take under the pallet 5 so that when the extensions areproperly inserted under the pallet the post may be readily removed fromposition upon the bed and carried to any suitable point and placed awayto dry. In order to properly dispose the extensions 33 below the pallet5 whenin position upon the bed 1, a pluralityof channels 34 are directedacross the upper face of the bed 1, in which are adapted to take theextensions 33 when being dis posed below the pallet and post thereon.

When a post has been molded and removed from the bed, another pallet isdisposed in position and the side rails and end plates assembledtogether and filled with suitable plastic material. The plunger is thendirected over the mold by moving the blocks 21 inwardly upon the track22 until said blocks engage suitable stops on the standards. The hook 25is then disengaged from the keeper and the plunger 9 lowered by rotatingthe shaft 20, the above operation being repeated until the requirednumber of posts have been molded.

It will now be seen that I have provided an economical device formolding articles from lastic material and one that can be quic y andeasily operated and it will furtherbe seen that I have provided suitablemeans for removing the molded article while ina green or soft state.

Whatdl claim is.

1. In a mold for plastic material, the combination with standards havinga bed secured there between of side rails hingedly secured IOC to saidbed, a plurality of bars pivotally secured to the side of said bed,means to connect the upper ends of said bars and cause them to swingupon their pivot points in unison, straps secured to said bed andadapted to engage said bars whereby the side rails will be held in avertical position, plates pivoted to said bed, and at the ends of saidside rails, said plates and side rails forming a mold and locklng armspivotally secured to said standards to hold said plates in a verticalposition said locking arms having handles at their outer ends.

2. A- mold of the class described, the combination with standards, a bedbetween said standards and suitable mold forming devices secured to saidbed of a plunger vertically movable between said standards, guides forsaid plunger, one of said guides being shorter than the other, a shaftrotatably mounted above said plunger, means to yieldingly secure saidplunger to the shaft, a track at the upper end of each of saidstandards, a block slidably mounted upon each track, said blockscarrying said shaft whereby when the plunger is elevated to its fullheight it may be disposed from over the moldby directing the blocksrearwardly upon the tracks.

3. In -a'n1old of the class described the combination with a suitablebed and supporting standards therefor; of side rails hingedly secured tosaid bed, bars pivoted at their lower ends to said bed, a rail pivotallyconnected with the upper ends of said bars whereby said bars will becaused to move in unison, straps secured to said bed and adapted toengage said bars, and hold the same vertically whereby when the bars aredisposed into engagement with the straps the side rails will be heldrigidly in a vertical position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES G. ASH.

\Vitnesses:

R. B. DAvIs, T. WILsoN.

